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Cascade onion

Allium cratericola

Also called Volcanic Onion

Cascade onion
Photo: Eric in SF, CC BY-SA 3.0

Cascade onion (Allium cratericola) is a small wild onion from California, growing from an oval bulb with a short stem and a dense cluster of bell-shaped flowers. It is a bulbous geophyte that needs a dry summer rest and sharp drainage to thrive.

Family
Amaryllidaceae (Daffodil & onion family)
Grows as
Bulb
Light
Full sun
Water
Water moderately in the growing season, then keep dry while the plant is dormant in summer.
Soil
Free-draining, gritty or sandy mix with good drainage.
Temperature
Tolerates cool temperate conditions and winter cold; protect from prolonged waterlogging.
How easy
Moderate
Edible
Yes, some parts
Native range
California
Climate
temperate

About

Allium cratericola is a species of wild onion known by the common name Cascade onion. It is endemic to California, where is an uncommon member of the flora in several of the state's mountain ranges, including the northern and southern California Coast Ranges, the western Transverse Ranges, Klamath Mountains, and the Sierra Nevada foothills. Its range covers much of the state, from Riverside County to Siskiyou County.

Other Allium plants

South Idaho onion · Abrams' allium · Allium aciphyllum · Tapertip onion · Allium aeginiense · Allium aflatunense · Allium agrigentinum · Allium alabasicum · Allium albotunicatum · Allium alibile · Altai Onion · Allium altissimum

Text excerpted from the Wikipedia article Allium cratericola by its contributors, under CC BY-SA 4.0; the excerpts and the care summary drawn from them are shared under the same licence.

The care summary was written by AI (Claude, Anthropic) from the sources on this page, with general growing knowledge where they are silent. Check before relying on it.

Life form, climate and native range: World Checklist of Vascular Plants, Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew (CC BY 3.0), reformatted; see Plants of the World Online.

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